EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Brussels, 19.12.2016

SWD(2016) 456 final

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

Accompanying the document

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL

2016 Annual Report on the implementation of the European Union's instruments for financing external actions in 2015

{COM(2016) 810 final}

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

INTRODUCTION: EU response to world developments in 2015

1.DELIVERING ON COMMITMENTS

1.1.2015: A crucial year for sustainable development

1.1.1.From the MDGs to the SDGs: the 2030 Agenda

1.1.2.The means of implementation of the new Agenda: Addis Ababa Action Agenda

1.1.3.The link between development and climate change: COP 21

1.1.4.EYD 2015

1.2.Keeping long-term promises

1.2.1 A more strategic approach: Implementing the Agenda for Change

1.2.2.Focusing on Poverty

1.2.3.Strengthening human rights and good governance

1.2.4.Mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues

1.2.5.Policy Coherence for Development (PCD)

1.2.6.Development effectiveness and Joint Programming

1.3.Partnerships

1.3.1.Cooperation with civil society organisations and local authorities

1.3.2.Working with the private sector

1.3.3.Cooperation with the donor community

1.3.4.Cooperation with international organisations

1.4.External action policies and instruments

1.4.1.Responding to global challenges and supporting long-term reforms

1.4.3.Making a difference: new instruments and aid modalities

1.5.Neighbourhood Policy Review

2.RESULTS FOR PROJECTS COMPLETED BETWEEN July 2014 and June 2015

2.1.Development progress in partner countries

2.2.EU contributions to results in partner countries: aggregated results

2.3.European Commission’s organisational performance as the manager of the EU aid

3. IMPLEMENTATION: GEOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW

3.1.Enlargement

3.1.1 Introduction

3.1.2.Aid effectiveness and donor coordination

3.1.3.Implementation

3.2.European Neighbourhood

3.2.1.European Neighbourhood East

3.2.2.European Neighbourhood South and Middle East

3.2.3 Iraq, Iran, Yemen and Gulf Countries

3.3.African continental, Sub-Saharan Africa & all ACP programmes

3.3.1Sub-Saharan Africa

3.3.2.South Africa

3.3.3Intra-ACP Programmes (Water, Energy, etc.)

3.4.Latin America & the Caribbean

3.4.1.Latin America

3.4.2.Caribbean

3.5.Asia, Central Asia & the Pacific

3.5.1.Asia

3.5.2.Central Asia

3.5.3.Pacific

3.6.OCTs

4.Implementation: Thematic Overview

4.1.The thematic programmes

4.1.1.Global Public Goods and Challenges Human Development

4.1.2.Civil society organisations and local authorities

4.1.3.Migration, forced displacement and asylum

4.1.4.Environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy

4.1.5.Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture

4.1.6.Sustainable Energy

4.2.Partnership Instrument

4.3.Democracy and Human Rights

4.4.Stability

4.4.1.Crisis response and preparedness

4.4.2. Global and regional trans-border challenges

4.5.Nuclear Safety

4.6.Humanitarian Assistance and Civil Protection

4.6.1.Humanitarian Aid

4.7.Macro-financial Assistance

5.Managing Aid

5.1.Monitoring Systems

5.1.1 The reformed external support to monitoring (ROM)

5.1.2 Evaluation: review of the work programme

5.1.3 Lessons learned

5.2.Aid delivery modalities

5.2.1 Trends in aid delivery modalities and channels

5.2.2 Budget support

5.2.3 Using EU grants strategically via blending

5.2.4.Trust Funds

5.3.Improving ways of working

5.3.1 Progress on qualitative issues in aid management

5.3.2 Simplification of procedures

5.4.Communication & transparency

5.4.1 Communication and visibility

5.4.2 Transparency.

INTRODUCTION: EU response to world developments in 2015

In 2015, Europe was confronted with a range of new and significant challenges. Conflicts were raging on both our Southern and Eastern borders. The European Union (EU) was also faced with an unprecedented refugee and migrant crisis while terrorist attacks were perpetrated inside and outside Europe.

The EU responded, quickly and comprehensively, using the entire breadth of its policies and tools that span diplomatic, security, financial, trade, development and humanitarian aid.

Throughout the year, the EU continued to play a leading role in international efforts addressing crises in Ukraine and providing support to ongoing efforts in Syria, Iraq and Libya. It worked tirelessly with its international partners against the activities of Da'esh.

In response to the migration crisis, the European Commission presented its European Agenda on Migration 1 in May 2015 to improve the management of migration in all its aspects.

The Valletta Summit brought together European and African Heads of State and Government in an effort to strengthen cooperation and address the challenges and the opportunities presented by migration. On this occasion, the EUR 1.8 billion ‘Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa’ 2 was launched.

To address the crisis in Syria, the European Union and its Member States committed EUR five billion up to the end of 2015 to assist the Syrian people inside the country as well as refugees and the communities hosting them in neighbouring countries. The EU pledged an additional EUR three billion in early 2016 in response to what has been the worst humanitarian crisis Europe has seen since World War II.

In May 2015, the Council of the EU called for a stronger Europe, with a stronger and more effective Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The fight against terrorism continued to take centre stage in the work of the EU in 2015.

At the end of 2015, the EU had 18 CSDP civilian and military missions and operations in place, of which two military operations (EUNAVFOR MED SOPHIA and EUMAM CAR) were established in 2015. EUNAVFOR MED SOPHIA is contributing to the disruption of the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Southern Central Mediterranean and EUMAM CAR is focusing on military advice and assistance to the Central African Republic (CAR) authorities and prepare them for security sector reform.

The world-wide trend of increasing man-made and natural disasters continued in 2015. The European Commission provided relief assistance of over EUR 1.4 billion including food, shelter, protection, healthcare and clean water to more than 120 million people in over 80 countries.

The record 2016 humanitarian budget will continue to provide needs-based, life-saving assistance throughout the world, assisting people affected by other conflicts, such as in South Sudan and Ukraine, as well as addressing the needs of communities affected by complex and recurring crises in the Sahel region and Lake Chad Basin, and other fragile areas. It will also address the external dimension of the refugee crisis that currently affects Europe in countries such as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, the Western Balkans and Iraq.

The EU delivered on crisis prevention not only in high-priority crises (like Ukraine, Syria/Iraq, Libya, Central African Republic and the Sahel), but also in connection with disasters (for example support to Nepal following the earthquakes in April and May) as well as in protracted and lower-intensity crises (Central Asia Water Mediation, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey-Armenia).

The EU and its Member States remained the world's largest provider of development funding. The European Commission alone disbursed over EUR 10.3 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in 2015 promoting European core values of peace, security, sustainable development, poverty reduction and human rights worldwide, and thus tackling the root causes of crisis. During the year, the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) 3 , worth EUR 30.5 billion, became fully operational.

As strong promoter of Human Rights, the EU undertook human rights dialogues and consultations with 37 partner countries and regional groupings. The EU together with Member States elaborated 11 democracy profiles in 2015. The EU supported human rights civil society organisations and human rights defenders, conducted eight Election Observation missions, eight Electoral Expert missions and three Election Follow-up Missions. It also took further steps towards applying a more effective human rights-based approach to development cooperation.

In September 2015, the European Commission services and the European External Action Service (EEAS) adopted a new framework for the EU's activities on gender equality and women's empowerment in EU's external relations 4 .

The EU remained a strong supporter of multilateralism and played a very active role in negotiating the 2030 Agenda, which has unprecedented global legitimacy as an agreed international framework for tackling a wide range of interconnected global challenges.

The 2030 Agenda builds on and integrates the outcome of the third United Nations (UN) Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa and links into the successful Paris Agreement on climate change. The Agenda highlights the importance of a number of cross-cutting issues for all UN Member Countries, including poverty elimination, social equality, environment protection, the security-development nexus, good and inclusive governance, human rights and gender equality.

Outlook for 2016

The EU will support the successful implementation of the Agenda 2030 both internally and externally.

The EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy, which will be delivered during 2016, will enable the Union to identify a clear set of objectives and priorities to face the security challenges of this decade and their root causes. On this basis, the European Union can align its tools and instruments to ensure that they have the greatest possible impact. This will help promote the European Union's interests globally, and ensure security within the EU and abroad.

The stabilisation of the region, in political, economic, and security related terms, is at the heart of the reviewed European Neighbourhood Policy, which was presented in November 2015.

The EU will support all efforts for a lasting peaceful solution respecting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukraine and which ensures a stable, prosperous and democratic future for all its citizens.

The EU will monitor the effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. As part of the commitments taken under the JCPOA, the EU lifted all its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions in January 2016.

The EU will build on its public consultation – ‘Towards a new partnership between the EU and the ACP countries after 2020’ – and work towards policy proposals for improved relations between the EU and the members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) after 2020.

The EU will further integrate climate change issues into its development cooperation in the framework of the Paris Agreement, which enters into force on 4 November 2016.

1.DELIVERING ON COMMITMENTS

1.1.    2015: A crucial year for sustainable development

2015 proved a remarkable year for international cooperation for poverty eradication and sustainable development. It marked the expiry date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and offered a chance for reflection on the progress made to date and the challenges ahead that remained to be addressed. 2015 also saw a series of landmark international agreements over the course of the year (the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) which have collectively re-cast the way we will think and act on international development and cooperation for the next fifteen years.

In each of these conferences and summits, the EU played an influential role in negotiating the final outcome; driving up the level of ambition and working constructively with our international partners to secure agreement. For example, in May 2015 the EU made a powerful collective commitment 5 to allocate 0.7 % of the Gross National Income (GNI) for official development assistance (ODA) within the timeframe of the 2030 Agenda, with accompanying commitments on ODA which should be directed to the Least Developed Countries. Following the September Summit, work to implement the 2030 Agenda began in earnest.

Due to the importance of all these events, 2015 was chosen as the European Year for Development (EYD); the first ever European Year to deal with the European Union's external action and Europe’s role in the world. The EYD 2015 helped mobilise people and raised awareness about the key challenges and global responsibilities in our changing world.

1.1.1.    From the MDGs to the SDGs: the 2030 Agenda 

From 25 to 27 September 2015, the international community assembled at the UN Headquarters in New York to adopt a bold and transformative new vision for sustainable development and poverty eradication: ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ 6 . The EU was well represented at the UN Summit: First Vice President Frans Timmermans delivered the EU statement in Plenary; the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission Federica Mogherini and Commissioner Neven Mimica also spoke at Interactive Dialogues and other side events; and in addition, a delegation of Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development (DEVE), together with the European Investment Bank (EIB) President, ensured that a wide range of institutions were represented and the EU voice was heard.

The Summit was the culmination of a lengthy but inclusive intergovernmental negotiation process in which the EU had played a leading and influential role. During 2015, a Commission Communication on the Global Partnership 7 , and subsequent Council Conclusions 8 , together with a number of reports and Resolutions from the European Parliament and other EU bodies all helped demonstrate a high level of constructive engagement from across the EU. Following the Summit, work on implementation gathered pace. The Commission services, in close cooperation with the EEAS, also continued to provide important inputs into the UN's work on the global indicators framework for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the arrangements for Follow Up and Review of the 2030 Agenda (including the integral Addis Ababa Action Agenda). The EEAS brought forward preparatory work for Capacity Building in Security and Development, and for a comprehensive policy in support of Security Sector Reform, which fit well with the new consensus on peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG 16). The EU expressed commitment to implement the 2030 Agenda and to supporting others to do the same.

1.1.2.    The means of implementation of the new Agenda: Addis Ababa Action Agenda

The third UN Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa in July 2015 agreed a comprehensive Means of Implementation package for the 2030 Agenda. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) helped establish a new sustainable development paradigm, with good governance at the core and an emphasis on responsibilities for all, the primacy of domestic action, the importance of good policies, the role of the private sector and a commitment to policy coherence.

The EU played a leading role in shaping this agenda and in helping to maintain a high level of ambition. The AAAA reflects the EU's priorities well.

The EU brought forward some important contributions in the context of the conference. Official Development Assistance (ODA) will continue to play an important role and the EU, already the world's largest provider of ODA, undertook in May 2015 at the EU Council, a particularly ambitious collective commitment to achieve the UN 0.7 % of GNI target within the timeframe of the 2030 Agenda. This includes a specific commitment to provide 0.15-0.20 % ODA/GNI to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the short-term and to reach 0.20 % within the timeframe of the post-2015 agenda. The Commission will continue to work with Member States to monitor progress against the ODA targets.

But ODA is only a small part of the development finance landscape. In line with the AAAA, the EU's actions go beyond ODA and help to bring together aid, investment, trade, domestic resource mobilisation and good policies. Such examples include, the flagship Domestic Resource Mobilisation programme, blending facilities to leverage more private sector investment in developing countries and continuation of 'duty free and quota free' market access to the Least Developed Countries.

1.1.3.    The link between development and climate change: COP 21

On 25 September 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted an ambitious sustainable development agenda with 17 goals that seek to systematically integrate and balance economic, social and environmental objectives. In this new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development climate change is recognised as “one of the greatest challenges of our time”  9 and worries that “its adverse impacts undermine the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development". The 2030 Agenda includes a specific Sustainable Development Goal on taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, while recognising that the UNFCCC is the primary forum for negotiating the global response to climate change. At the Paris climate conference (COP21) in December 2015, 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally-binding, global climate deal covering all countries. The Paris Agreement 10 sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C. Moreover, such measures are to be taken, as spelled out in Articles 2, 4 and 6 of the agreement, “in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty”.

The EU was right at the forefront of international efforts towards a global climate deal and was also the first major economy to submit its intended contribution to the new agreement in March 2015. The EU also pressed for the inclusion of tackling climate change as a major priority within the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The EU remains committed to implementing both the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, and will support other countries as they seek to do the same, particularly those most in need 11 .

To support Commission targeted policy actions aimed at helping those countries most seriously threatened by climate change, Commission services have developed a global index to monitor progress of climate resilient development policies. The Global Climate Change Alliance plus (GCCA+) index 12 , presented at the COP21, can be consulted via an online knowledge platform that acts as an interface between science and policy and provides transparent, reliable, accurate, and open source information on the indicators, data and methodology applied to build the index.

The new African Drought Observatory (ADO) 13 offers a framework for the provision of early warning and response to mitigate the impact of droughts in Africa.

1.1.4.    EYD 2015

The European Year for Development 2015 (EYD2015) was a timely and successful campaign. It was the first ever European Year devoted to an external relations theme and it arrived at a time of important global decisions, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the climate deal in Paris; and the agreement on financing development with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

EYD2015 aimed to bring these decisions closer to European citizens. The objectives were to inform them about the work on development cooperation undertaken by the EU and the Member States; to foster direct involvement and critical thinking about development policy; and to raise awareness of the benefits of development cooperation and its global dimension for both citizens in the partner countries and in the EU.

The inclusive character of the EYD2015 campaign was a success story. 208 organisations registered on the dedicated EYD2015 website ranging from EU Member States, EU Delegations and Representations to International Organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector. The campaign itself adopted a "decentralised" model by financially and logistically supporting national campaigns in 25 EU Member States and a European Civil Society alliance: CONCORD. Their active role in the campaign succeeded in spreading the messages of the Year to more people than originally expected. The aggregated numbers show that 3 828 events took place in all EU Member States with some 1 923 240 participants.

Special attention was devoted to reach young people in Europe. In May and June 2015, Youth Ambassadors from all over the world were invited in Brussels to actively take part in the European Development Days and to meet the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon. Throughout 2015, 28 Kapuscinski Development Lectures were held in the EU attracting more than 7 000 participants. A popular blogger was asked to travel through three continents, in five countries over 10 days to record by video how development cooperation works through the eyes of a young European. Finally, a unique educational toolkit was produced for teachers to teach about development issues in schools and universities.

In parallel, young people and volunteers from partner countries are participating in Erasmus+ projects, youth exchanges and volunteering activities which aim to foster an active participation of youth in society and discussions on global challenges, notably targeting young people with fewer opportunities.

A Joint Declaration by the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on the lessons learnt from the EYD2015 campaign 14 was signed at the closing ceremony in Luxembourg in December 2015. It stressed the importance of building on partnerships and engaging new stakeholders; reaching out to young people; being people-centric; interactive; fact- and result-based; and sustaining the spirit of the Year through the continuation of the use of the EYD2015 motto "Our world, our dignity, our future".

During the European Year for Development, Commission services coordinated the 2015 Expo Milan on global food and nutrition challenges that involved over 230 events. These events brought together more than 30 000 experts, whose contributions culminated in new recommendations on how European research and innovation can help improve food and nutrition security around the world.

1.2.    Keeping long-term promises

1.2.1        A more strategic approach: Implementing the Agenda for Change 

The primary objective of the Agenda for Change 15 , which is the basis for the EU's development policy, is to significantly increase the impact and effectiveness of EU development policy. Its key orientations have informed the programming process for the current 2014-2020 period.

Today EU bilateral aid under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and European Development Fund (EDF) is more focused on countries that need it the most, such as Least Developed Countries and Lower Income Countries, while the share of Upper and Middle Income Countries has been significantly reduced. Similarly, at country level EU aid is more focused with three or less sectors of concentration in each partner country. Among the sectors of concentration, EU support is now more focused on the two priority areas of the Agenda for Change, notably Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance and Inclusive and Sustainable Growth for Human Development.

In 2015, budget support policy has continued to be successfully implemented, supported notably by the systematic use of the risk management framework and by the strengthened internal governance structure with the Commission services. The EU has also launched the ‘Emergency Trust Fund’ for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa. Finally, the EU Blending Framework covers now all regions of EU external cooperation and it is expected to mobilise over EUR 100 billion by 2020 through more than 500 new projects.

On Joint Programming, reporting from the field shows that in 25 partner countries Joint Strategies were prepared or finalised by end 2015; with 14 completed during 2015.

Increasing impact and effectiveness of EU development policy also requires a strong focus on results. To strengthen the focus on results as well as to be able to deliver a better reporting on results, the Commission services launched the overall EU International Cooperation and Development Results Framework which will be the basis of the Commission annual reporting on results as from this report.

1.2.2.    Focusing on Poverty

While global poverty has decreased, it still remains high and concentrated in certain regions. According to the latest projections in 2015 there were 702 million people (9.6 % of the global population) living on USD 1.90 per day 16 . In 2012, the latest year for which estimates are available, there were 869 million extremely poor, representing 12.7 % of the global population. This is a significant decrease compared to the situation in 1990 when 37.1 % of the global population (almost two billion people) lived on USD 1.90 per day.

The regions where most of the poor live are Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA). According to projections, these two regions account for 82 % of the global total of extremely poor people in 2015. The share of SSA in global poverty increased from 14 % in 1990 to a projected 49 % in 2015 mainly due to population growth.

1.2.3.    Strengthening human rights and good governance

In July 2015, the EU reaffirmed its political commitment to the 2012 Strategic Framework on Human Rights and Democracy 17 and adopted a new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy for the period 2015 - 2019. The Action Plan translates into clear goals and targeted actions the broad objectives of protecting and promoting human rights, and supporting democratic processes worldwide. It has put an ambitious goal "to move towards a rights-based approach to development cooperation, encompassing all human rights". This should be achieved by "pursuing its full concrete integration into all EU development instruments and activities, using training and guidance, capacity support, results-oriented monitoring guidelines and criteria for evaluation with a view to achieving the implementation of a rights-based approach to development cooperation in 2016, including through country programmes". The objective is not only to "do no harm" by avoiding unintended negative impacts of development activities for the final beneficiaries, but also to "do maximum good" by concretely and directly contributing to the realisation of their human rights, considered both as a means and a goal of development cooperation. The EU integrated the rights-based approach (RBA) in key development cooperation documents, the project monitoring and evaluation systems, and roadmaps for engagement with civil society. At local level, some EU Delegations have already integrated the RBA in their programming.

In this spirit, the EU also integrated the rights-based approach into the roadmaps for engagement with civil society.

The EU continued assessing these fundamental values in its budget support programmes (see chapter 5.2.2 of this document) in line with the methodology provided in the Budget Support Guidelines 18 for the three defined types of contracts (see Annex 12 of the Guidelines). The new Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy foresees an assessment of the implementation of Annex 12 as an essential element for budget support, as well as the full integration of a RBA into Sector Reform Contracts.

With the revision of its European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in 2015, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to promote the rule of law, good governance, democracy and human rights in the Neighbourhood region. These will remain priorities for the EU in 2016 as it reaches out to each partner to seek more effective ways to promote reforms, based on a more tailor-made approach and new support frameworks, notably with the financial support of the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI).

The Enlargement policy remained focused on the fundamentals first principle, in which the EU focuses its efforts on ensuring that countries prioritise reforms in the core fields of rule of law, fundamental rights, democratic institutions (including public administration reform) and economic governance.

1.2.4.    Mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues

The EU addresses the following cross-cutting issues of major importance for development under a mainstreaming approach: democracy and human rights, including children’s rights, the rights of persons with disabilities and of indigenous peoples; gender equality; culture; environmental sustainability and the fight against climate change; fighting the root causes of migration; and controlling HIV/AIDS.

Tackling these cross-cutting issues from a mainstreaming perspective can help avoid the risk of a negative impact on the cross-cutting issue as well as take advantage of potential positive effects.

For example, mainstreaming human rights consists of systematically integrating human rights in all sectors of aid interventions. While this is key to ensure policy coherence, it also includes a “do no harm” element avoiding unintended negative impacts of development activities contributing to human rights violations (e.g. schools that do not have accessible sanitation facilities for children with disabilities will result in violations of their right to education).

In 2015, the European Commission adopted revised instructions to include an assessment of cross-cutting issues in any new programme proposed for financing. In line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to which the EU is a full party, the Commission is increasingly including explicit provisions on the rights of persons with disabilities in key regulations and procedures. For instance, provisions regarding accessibility for persons with disabilities have been included in EU procurement procedures.

1.2.4.1.    Forced Displacement and Migration

The global figure of 65.3 million forcibly displaced people is the largest since the Second World War. Human mobility is also at unprecedentedly high levels with 244 million international migrants. Forcibly displaced people are a particular category of people on the move. Refugees and migrants are legally two distinct categories. In reality they are however often part of large-scale mixed movements of people, underscoring the need for carefully balanced and targeted protection and migration management policies.

The strong nexus between development and migration has been confirmed with the inclusion of migration in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development where it is recognised as a potential positive force for development.

The 2030 Agenda also identifies forced displacement as one of the key factors that threaten to reverse much of the development progress made in recent decades. This clearly demonstrates that development cooperation has a key role to play to address both the challenges and the opportunities presented by the current global refugee and migration situation.

While EU development assistance has addressed migration and development concerns for years, in 2015 the Commission considerably stepped up efforts to more effectively respond to the needs and priorities of partner countries. This includes ensuring that migration concerns are mainstreamed into all other relevant development sectors under geographical and thematic funding programmes.

In line with the European Agenda on Migration adopted in 2015, the Commission increased its cooperation with partner countries globally. For instance, migration dialogues with African partner countries were strengthened and deepened, notably through the Rabat and Khartoum migration processes as well as through the Africa-EU Migration and Mobility Dialogue.

In addition, the Valletta Summit in November 2015 brought together leaders of the EU and the African side in an effort to strengthen cooperation and address the current challenges and opportunities of migration in a balanced approach and in close partnership between countries of origin, transit and destination.

In terms of programmatic responses, the EUR 1.8 billion EU Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa, which was launched at the Valletta Summit, is a good example of the strengthened EU approach on migration. The Trust Fund serves as a complementary and flexible tool to the extensive EU development cooperation in the region and aims to support the effective implementation of the Valletta commitments.

In addition, the Commission is supporting tailor-made high-level dialogues with priority countries on migration, aiming to increase cooperation on migration in a comprehensive and joint approach.

In our cooperation with the Neighbourhood region, mainstreaming of the migration dimension into development policies is gaining importance in a context where financial resources are becoming scarce, compared to the impact of the current refugee crisis. This approach is currently being tested in a number of cooperation programmes (Morocco for example, where migration indicators have been introduced in sector budget support programmes and are related to the access of migrants to education and health protection systems), but also at local level, where the aim is to support local authorities to integrate in their planning processes the impact linked to the inflow of migrants (be it in terms of additional burden put on infrastructures or in terms of positive contributions to the local economy).

EU development assistance is also stepping up its role with regards to forced displacement which was traditionally considered solely a humanitarian concern. In 2015, efforts were re-doubled to support countries bearing the heaviest burden of the displacement crisis linked to the continuing Syrian conflict, in particular through increased funding to the EU regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, and preparatory work for targeted cooperation compacts with Lebanon and Jordan.

Erasmus+ student and staff mobility has a strong potential to address the root causes of migration by improving the quality of higher education in partner countries, but also in accelerating the use of transparency and recognition tools, building trust between higher education systems in Europe and partner countries. Erasmus+ and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions were recognised therefore as important instruments to support the mobility of students and researchers under the legal migration and mobility component of the Valletta Action Plan

1.2.4.2.    Climate Change

In September 2015, the UN adopted an ambitious sustainable development agenda 19 which aims to systematically integrate and balance economic, social and environmental objectives. The EU already leads global mobilisation on these issues and has made important commitments on them including spending at least 20 % of its 2014-2020 budget on climate change-related actions 20  and doubling (from an agreed baseline) its biodiversity spending to developing countries, in particular the least-developed countries and Small Island Developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition by 2020 21 .

To achieve these objectives, the EU is financing initiatives that directly aim to address climate change and protect the environment and address climate change and also seeking to promote these goals in all its programmes by mainstreaming these issues in other sectors of cooperation, like agriculture, disaster risk management, research and energy. All expenditure managed by Commission services is systematically tracked through the application of Rio markers.

Examples of cross-cutting mainstreaming initiatives supported through EU funds include: the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), an additional contribution to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility - Readiness Fund, a new phase of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA+), a new Electrification Financing Initiative (ElectriFI) to strengthen support to accessible low carbon energy, a similar financing initiative for sustainable agriculture (AgriFI), and continuation of the EU blending facilities with their Climate Change Windows.

In addition, in the run-up of the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, the EU supported partner countries in preparing their intended nationally-determined contributions (INDCs), the first comprehensive attempt to set out a cross-sectoral national vision for transitioning to a low-emission and climate-resilient economy.

1.2.4.3.    Gender equality

The new Gender Action Plan (GAP) ‘Transforming the lives of women and girls through EU external relations 2016-2020’ was endorsed by the Council in October 2015, after one year of preparation in consultation with Member States, and extensive cooperation between Commission services. The new GAP is ambitious, and it emphasises a shifting of mind-sets that hinder gender equality. Inside the Commission services and the EEAS, it aims to secure greater leadership and promote a strategic approach that combines more investment, better coordination and shared accountability. Externally, it proposes to act in transformative areas of the lives of women and girls: the fight against violence and harmful practices; access to and control over resources; and participation at all levels of decision making.

This approach is based on specific country-level analysis and fosters the effective inclusion of the gender perspective in the programming process as well as in policy dialogues.

The new action plan focuses on results and strengthens monitoring and evaluation of results for gender equality. It pays careful attention to the cultural shift needed to eliminate social norms and practices that hinder a full enjoyment of human rights for women and girls, to effectively change the mind-set which is the source of discrimination.

This reflects the Agenda 2030 that includes a stand-alone goal on gender equality and a mainstreamed approach across all Sustainable Development Goals.

1.2.5.    Policy Coherence for Development (PCD)

Through Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) the EU takes account of development objectives in all its policies that are likely to affect developing countries. The promotion of PCD aims to minimise contradictions and build synergies between different EU policies to the benefit of developing countries.

In 2015, the Commission continued its efforts to increase PCD. It published the fifth EU PCD Report which monitors progress on PCD at EU level and in Member States over the past two years and highlights achievements and remaining challenges in procedural issues and across different policy areas. The report also served as an awareness-raising tool through its official launch by Commissioner Mimica and subsequent wide-scale distribution to stakeholders.

The Better Regulation Package adopted by the Commission in May 2015 contains new guidelines for assessing impacts of future EU initiatives. In this framework, specific operational guidance is now provided on how to systematically assess the effects of new policies on developing countries. This tool is considered pivotal for promoting the principle of PCD within Commission services.

EU Delegations play a crucial role by providing feedback on the impact of wider EU policies on our partner countries and increasing the evidence base on PCD. The Commission took steps to strengthen the monitoring of country-level PCD issues, in particular by integrating PCD into the annual reporting from EU Delegations.

At international level, the EU continued to promote policy coherence approaches, e.g. in the run-up to the New York Summit on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. There is broad understanding within the EU that PCD will be a key element for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Research and innovation are a means to foster development by enhancing human potential and infrastructures as well as designing new services and products. In addition, research provides evidence in support of development policies.

The communication on 'Enhancing and focusing EU international cooperation in research and innovation: A strategic approach' 22 , adopted by the European Commission in 2012, sets "supporting the Union's external policies" as one of its three main objectives. A report on the implementation of the strategy was adopted in November 2014 23 . Annexed to this report, is a first set of 11 roadmaps with international partners (two regions and nine countries) of the EU. These roadmaps are about setting priorities and making them visible, mirroring developments in the EU’s policy-dialogues on research and innovation cooperation. These roadmaps were implemented in 2015.

The European Commission continued to invest, through the new EU Framework Programme Research and Innovation Programme, Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), in cooperation between researchers and innovators in Europe and developing countries to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other International Commitments such as Rio+20, the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) or the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP). Directorate-General Research and Innovation contributed also to the Sustainable Development Goals, identifying research areas that can better address these.

The European Commission also continued to work on including science, technology and innovation as important drivers in Agenda 2030.

1.2.6.    Development effectiveness and Joint Programming

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) is a multi-stakeholder platform for learning and knowledge exchange on development effectiveness. In 2015, the Commission represented the EU constituency in two GPEDC Steering Committees. In January, the Commission hosted the planning workshop ‘Strengthening Coordination to Deliver Results’ in cooperation with the Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness and the Asia-Pacific Development Effectiveness Facility. The EU is fully cooperating with the second round of monitoring of GPEDC commitments and proactively engages with partner countries to facilitate the exercise.

Joint Programming (JP) addresses aid fragmentation and transaction costs, and improves transparency, predictability, coordination. JP aims at a coherent EU response on partner country's development.

In line with commitments taken at the GPEDC 1st high level Meeting in Mexico 2014, a ‘ Joint Programming Guidance Pack ’ 24 addressed the demand from the field for an operational framework to facilitate and inspire JP processes, building on Member States’ knowledge and lessons learned.

Reporting from the field shows that in 25 partner countries, Joint Strategies were prepared or finalised by end 2015, with 14 completed in 2015. JP has produced positive effects toward more development effectiveness, and is perceived in many countries as promoting intra-EU transparency, cooperation and information-sharing among EU Partners while improving division of labour and coherence. JP facilitates a coordinated policy dialogue, notably at sector level. JP is increasingly seen as a space for joint EU responses to new challenges such as migration and climate change.

The Commission participates in the Practitioners' Network, a network of EU agencies to improve coordination of implementation.

1.3.    Partnerships

1.3.1.    Cooperation with civil society organisations and local authorities

The European Union’s political commitments to support civil society organisations (CSO) and local authorities (LA) as key actors of governance and development in their own right, is implemented by the Civil Society Organisation-Local Authorities Thematic Programme that was adopted in July 2014 under the Development Cooperation Instrument that strengthens these actors in partner countries. The Instrument for Pre-Accession as well as the European Neighbourhood Instrument also provide substantial support to strengthen and promote the role of civil society in building stronger democracies, improve accountability systems and ultimately achieve better policy and economic and social development.

Indeed, localising the 2030 Agenda by empowering Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities will bring more relevance, efficiency and accountability to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. At regional and global level, Civil Society Organisations networks and associations of Local Authorities are essential stakeholders playing a pivotal role in linking local concerns, often caused by global challenges, to regional and international debates. The European Union supports their enhanced contributions to development and the 2030 Agenda.

In 2015, to illustrate this commitment, the European Commission signed five Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) with global and regional associations of local authorities and 23 similar FPAs with global and regional networks of Civil Society Organisations.

1.3.2.    Working with the private sector

The post-2015 consultations confirmed the private sector to be an essential actor for the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda to eradicate poverty and to achieve global development goals with emphasis on inclusive and sustainable growth, through investing in the creation of productive capacities and decent jobs.

The Commission has been supporting this new policy since 2014 through the implementation of the Communication ‘A Stronger Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries’ 25 . The Communication contains 12 actions in areas where the Commission can add value. These address better regulatory environments in partner countries, business development support and access to finance, especially for micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the formal and informal sectors that play a particularly vital role in job creation. Key sectors identified (sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture, infrastructure and the green sectors) have been already supported through blending operations. There was an increasing recognition of the role of the private sector in fragile and post conflict states in the context of migration.

In 2015, as part of the implementation of the Communication, the Commission promoted the structured dialogue with private sector through some key events: the Policy Forum on Development (PFD), the private sector side event during the third UN Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa Conference in July 2015, and an expert group with Member States.

The first action on the private sector was adopted and the Commission approved three programmes related to Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC): the CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor); IBAN (Inclusive Business Action network); and the Standards and Trade Development Facility.

The private sector stands out as a significant component of the intra ACP strategy for the 11th EDF, adopted in November 2015, where EUR 600 million are allocated to support private sector development (PSD) and investment, as established in relation to the ‘joint ACP-EU Cooperation Framework for PSD support in ACP Countries’.

1.3.3.    Cooperation with the donor community

The Commission continued participating actively in discussions in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on issues relevant to the future global development agenda, e.g. Sustainable Development Goals, Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, and Financing for Development.

Dialogues with non-EU partners were key in 2015 including the UN negotiations on the 2030 Agenda. As part of the EU-US Strategic Dialogue, the Commission chaired regular consultations with its US counterparts to raise political awareness at global level around the post 2015 development agenda and other issues of common interest. The development dialogue at senior level in April 2015 in Washington DC provided further impetus. Consultations were held at senior level with Japan in July 2015 in the framework of our development dialogue, while field cooperation between the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and EU delegations has been enhanced. Contacts have been developed with relevant authorities in China on global development and regional issues, to promote a more structured dialogue on development issues. A senior level meeting was held with Australia, which discussed the successful implementation of the first bilateral delegated development cooperation agreement with a non-EU Member State.

The Commission continued to deploy efforts to engage with new donors and graduated countries to progressively shift relations towards more strategic partnerships on global/regional development issues, in particular finalising a study on emerging donors in Africa which was presented and debated in a variety of different fora.

The Commission has a leading role in bringing together donors response to challenges in the neighbourhood and enlargement regions. This has been the case particularly for the refugee crisis and migration related issues in 2015.

1.3.4.    Cooperation with international organisations

2015 saw the adoption by the United Nations (UN) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA). Strong Commission involvement in the negotiations contributed significantly to their successful outcome.

The Commission contributed actively to the meeting of the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which has the central role in the follow up and review of the 2030 Agenda at global level, to other UN high level meetings, and to the negotiation of more than 50 development-related UN General Assembly (UNGA) and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Resolutions. Cooperation with UN agencies, funds and programmes was actively pursued with emphasis on partnership visibility and to maximise the impact of the EU's financial support.

The Commission also worked closely with the Council of Europe, implementing programmatic cooperation in both the South and the East Neighbourhood as well as projects in the Western Balkans and Turkey. This follows a Statement of Intent from April 2014 to build a strategic and programmatic cooperation between the two institutions.

The Commission continued its cooperation with International Financial Institutions (IFIs), intensifying cooperation with Bretton Woods institutions on Africa, Neighbourhood, domestic resources mobilisation, private sector and fragility issues, and with European financial institutions and regional development banks in blending platforms.

The Commission continued to play an active role with G7 leaders to take development issues into account. Their commitment to development is reflected by initiatives launched on climate insurance, sustainable textiles, hunger, health and gender.

The Commission also supported efforts to deepen G20 Members' engagement in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, as well as setting out a series of deliverables on development: infrastructure, food security, financial inclusion and green finance.

1.4.    External action policies and instruments

1.4.1.    Responding to global challenges and supporting long-term reforms

The close interlinkage between security and development has long been recognised by the EU 26 . There can be no sustainable development without peace and security, and no sustainable peace without development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reaffirms this at the international level, including through SDG 16. Tackling security and development requires the whole EU toolbox and is a key part of the EU's Comprehensive Approach.

The challenging security environment globally with protracted and complex conflicts, for example in Syria, Yemen, Da'esh, Boko Haram, and Ukraine, is putting the traditional concept and implementation of the European Commission’s development policy under unprecedented pressure, with increasing requests to address issues such as the root causes of irregular migration, terrorism and violent extremism.

To further promote the comprehensive approach on the security-development nexus in 2015, the EU launched work on the Joint Communication from the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for an EU-wide strategic framework for Security Sector Reform support. Work carried out in 2015 included an extensive consultation process that reached out to a wide range of stakeholders including academia, civil society organisations, NGOs, Members of the European Parliament and Member State representatives.

On 9 February 2015, the Council adopted Conclusions on Counter-Terrorism. They call upon the EU to intensify its external engagement and outreach and state that a greater emphasis is needed on the prevention of terrorism. Under the long-term component of the IcSP, support to counter-terrorism has grown to approximately EUR 20 million/year in the present multiannual financial framework (MFF). In parallel, the term crisis response component of the IcSP substantially increased its support to counter-terrorism and counter violent extremism- related actions from EUR 24.5 million in 2014 to EUR 28.5 million in 2015 mainly in the Sahel and MENA regions.

1.4.2.    Security development nexus (CBSD)

In this context a Joint Communication on ‘Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development’ was published in 2015 27 . In the short term, concrete projects in a number of pilot cases are being taken forward. In the longer term, more systematic policy frameworks and funding arrangements for Capacity Building for Security and Development (CBSD) should be developed and should target all relevant actors (both civilian and military).

The Commission Work Programme (CWP) 2016 adopted on 27 October 2015 includes a package on capacity building in the security sector, which covers security sector reform (SSR) and a possible new dedicated financing instrument. As part of this, work towards an EU wide SSR strategy was carried out 28 , working closely across EU institutions and in consultation with stakeholders. This shared policy framework, together with enhanced coordination and better use of shared analysis, will help ensure a more coherent approach.

1.4.3.    Making a difference: new instruments and aid modalities

In a world that is constantly facing uncertainties and crises, and where emerging economies like China, India and Brazil are asserting their influence, Europe must stand together and play an active role in shaping global change. Together, the external financing instruments funded by the EU budget and the European Development Fund ensure that the EU speaks with a strong, united voice: pursuing poverty eradication, democracy, peace, stability and prosperity, both in our immediate neighbourhood and across the world.

Pursuing the external strategic objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy 29 , the instruments have translated into operational terms the pillars of the Agenda for Change, namely prioritisation, concentration and enhanced results focus in order to increase impact, differentiation and EU coordination. Four policy priorities are at stake: enlargement, neighbourhood, cooperation with strategic partners, and development cooperation.

The EU seeks to target its resources where they are needed most and where they can have most impact. The partner countries most in need, in particular the least developed countries and countries facing major crises, have been given priority.

The EU gave a greater focus to human rights and provided more support to democracy and good governance, including through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, to better support the development of thriving civil societies.

The Commission has committed itself to increase the share of EU aid through innovative financial instruments. Therefore, during 2015, the Commission has continued to carry out exhaustive work together with development finance institutions and other stakeholders in order to identify specific instruments, key areas and sectors where blending can be increasingly used 30 .

Finally, the external financing instruments have allowed more flexibility to further increase the EU’s capacity to respond to unforeseen events in 2015, using simplified rules and procedures for implementation and delivering assistance more effectively.

1.5.    Neighbourhood Policy Review

In 2015, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was reviewed. A Joint Consultation Paper 31 was issued on 4 March, followed by a public consultation with stakeholders until the end of June 2015. Consultations took place with Member States, partner governments, EU institutions, international organisations, social partners, civil society, business, think tanks, academia, and members of the public. Over 250 contributions were received.

As a result of this consultation, on 18 November 2015 the European Commission and the High Representative adopted the Joint Communication 'Towards a new European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)'. The overarching theme of the review was stabilisation of the neighbourhood 32 . Priorities of mutual interest for the EU and its partners were outlined such as good governance, democracy, rule of law and human rights; economic development for stabilisation; connectivity, energy and climate change; security; and migration and mobility. Special emphasis was given to forging partnerships of mutual interest with partner countries, strengthening cooperation with Member States, International Financial Institutions, International Organisations and other donors, both at regional and local level. A key element remains enhancing communication activities and visibility of EU funding as part of a strategic and coordinated approach. On 14 December, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted Conclusions welcoming the Joint Communication and stating that a democratic, stable and prosperous neighbourhood was a strategic priority and a fundamental interest of the EU.

Over the course of 2016, further discussions are expected to take place with partner countries, with a view to jointly determine the shape of future relations, based on the recommendations outlined in the ENP review and the December 2015 Council conclusions.

2.    RESULTS FOR PROJECTS COMPLETED BETWEEN July 2014 and June 2015

Introduction

On 26 March 2015, the Commission services launched the EU International Cooperation and Development Results Framework through the publication of the Staff working document (2015)80 final 33 . It marked a significant step in improving the way the EU will manage and report results in this area. This is one of the first systems within the Commission services that systematically measures and reports results and publishes both aggregated and non-aggregated results data.

The publication of the results framework has led to the preparation of the first report on the basis of the results framework on selected results of projects completed between mid-2013 and mid-2014. The report, published in the form of the Staff working document (2016) 255 was a complement to the previous Commission Annual Report on development and external assistance polices and their implementation.

This current chapter represents the second report on results, relating to projects completed between mid-2014 and mid-2015. The reporting on results is, as was already announced in afore mentioned Staff Working Documents, therefore becoming, as of this year, a structural part of the reporting by the Commission on the implementation of EU international cooperation and development cooperation.

While the first report included not only the aggregated results but also non-aggregated main results per country, the non-aggregated results will from now on only be published online, complementing the aggregated results in the present report.

The enhanced focus on results in managing external aid has led the Commission services to setting up internal tools and support systems which should assist the Commission services in stepping up the results focus of its activities, be it at the stage of design of new actions or for the monitoring of their implementation. This also includes the starting up of the development of an ambitious new operational information management system (Opsys) that should enable the Commission services and EU Delegations to achieve a focus on results. The new system's module for results management will be the first part of the system that is to be delivered, its full deployment being planned for the second half of 2017. It is planned to be used as the single system both for the management and monitoring of EU funded actions and the related reporting by the Commission's HQ services and EU Delegations at country level and for the results reporting by the implementing partners to the Commission. This will, together with other measures implemented by the Commission services, help meet the objective, also underlined by the Council in the conclusions it adopted in May 2015, to put the results framework into practice to ensure that it reaches out through implementation processes which can make a real difference on the ground.

In parallel, the Court of Auditors proceeded with a review of the risks related to a results oriented approach in EU development and cooperation action, making a number of recommendations to the Commission on results related issues which are important for implementing external aid, such as the importance of formulating clear results to be achieved and the appropriate indicators to monitor their achievement and ensuring that we can proceed on the basis of appropriate data availability and reliability. The Court also pointed to the importance of good information management systems as a condition for results management. The Court's report was a critical but welcome and timely support to the work undertaken by the Commission.

The adoption and implementation of the new results framework will also be key for the improvement of the coherence and functioning of the Commission's overall performance management systems in the area of international cooperation and development. It is expected to contribute to the further definition of the building blocks that should help strengthen the Commission's internal management systems.

Finally, as also announced in the March 2015 SWD, the Commission's services will be revising the results framework to take into account the adoption by the UN assembly of the SDGs in September 2015 and the related adoption of the SDG indicators that should take place in 2017.

This current chapter presents selected results which were achieved with EU support in EU partner countries through EU funded projects and programmes which were completed during the period July 2014 - June 2015. It should be noted that the results do not include the seven countries involved in the Enlargement process, to which the EU Results Framework does not apply.

This presentation of results follows the publication of the Commission’s first report on selected EU International Cooperation and Development results July 2013 - June 2014 34 . It further consolidates the fulfilment of a major commitment made by the European Commission to improve accountability in the area of international cooperation and development towards development partners, EU institutions, civil society organisations and citizens. It aggregates results achieved with EU support within priority sectors of assistance in the countries where EU development cooperation has funded projects and programmes. The aim is to provide an overall picture of selected results achieved. Inevitably, it only provides a partial overview as it uses a limited number of key indicators which allow for quantifiable results data to be aggregated. These indicators have been defined in the EU International Cooperation and Development Results Framework (hereafter referred to as the EU Results Framework) launched by the Commission’s Staff Working Document of 26 March 2015 35 .

To understand the basis upon which the chapter has been drawn up, please remember the following points. They further explain why the chapter can only provide a partial picture of the results achieved:

1.Projects and programmes the EU has either financed or helped to finance often produce results which by their very nature are not quantifiable (e.g. capacity building).

2.This reporting draws on the results of projects and programmes which ended between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015. The reason for selecting this timeframe as a basis for this chapter is that data on final results are usually only reported some time after the completion of a project. Reporting on completed projects also means that it does not reflect the results of projects and programmes which were ongoing on 30 June 2015. The results reported relate to projects and programmes, the majority of which began in 2010 or later.

3.The present reporting focuses on projects and programmes with EU funding of more than EUR 750 000 in order to make data collection, processing and reporting manageable during this first stage and concentrates on those projects and programmes. As was also stated in the Staff Working Document, these represent some 90-95 % of the total financial amount of the portfolio of development cooperation projects and programmes ending in a given year. Thus, the present reporting does not include results from the many smaller projects funded by the EU during that period.

4.As the results presented in this chapter reflect the policy and programming priorities at the time of designing the projects and programmes under consideration prior to 2013, certain key priority areas in the EU’s current work in international cooperation and development are not covered extensively within this document.

Annex 1 in Chapter 6 provides more detailed explanations on the methodological basis for the present reporting on results.

This current chapter provides different types of results and, to set the context, it presents the development progress made by the partner countries. While the focus is on results in the field, it also provides some data on the European Commission’s own organisational performance. The various data are presented as follows, based on the structure of the EU Results Framework:

Section 2.1: Setting the context – development progress in partner countries

To establish the background against which the EU contributions to partner countries’ results should be understood Section 2.1 provides an overall picture of the development progress made by EU partner countries, i.e. the longer-term development results (outcomes and impact). It aggregates and reflects results achieved by the partner countries based on collaboration between partner countries, donors and other development players, including the private sector. The results presented in this section are based on a limited number of quantifiable indicators and thus provide a snapshot of partner countries’ progress in development.

The aggregated values presented in Section 2.1 include data from all those countries with which the EU still has bilateral cooperation programmes over the 2014-2020 programming period and not from those with which it had bilateral programmes under the programming period 2007-2013, but no longer does (e.g. India). Data have been obtained from international statistical sources (e.g. United Nations’ agencies, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and others), the majority of which refer to 2014, the latest available data for the predefined indicators when this publication was compiled 36 . A complete list of the data sources for the indicators presented in Section 2.1 is provided in Annex 1.

Section 2.2: EU contribution to results in partner countries: aggregated results

With a focus on results which can be more closely linked to EU development cooperation projects and programmes, Section 2.2 gives an overview of aggregated results (outputs and direct outcomes) from projects and programmes financed by the EU in order to demonstrate, on the basis of EU Results Framework indicators, how the EU is contributing to development progress in partner countries.

Information on results presented in this section has been drawn from reporting by partners actually implementing the projects and programmes in question (i.e. partner countries themselves, international organisations, non-governmental organisations, EU Member States’ development agencies, and international financial institutions). As mentioned above, the results reported for these projects and programmes cover the full period of their implementation, with the majority starting in 2010 or later and ending between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015.

The results reported have been calculated using a contribution approach, which is also used by other donors such as the World Bank. This means that where a project has been financed by the EU jointly with other funders – such as partner country governments or other donors – the overall results of the collective effort are reported, rather than results attributed to the share of funding provided by the EU.

Section 2.3: European Commission’s organisational performance as the manager of EU aid

This section gives information on how European Commission services are managing their operational processes and resources in order to contribute to achieving development results. Some of the results presented in Section 2.3 relate to indicators for which the Union has defined targets reflecting the political commitments the EU has made; others come from the legal framework for implementation of the EU’s development and cooperation policy.

Data reported in this section are based on the financing decisions taken by the European Commission from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2015 for projects and programmes in support of development cooperation in partner countries.

As regards future steps with respect to the EU Results Framework, the present reporting on completed projects, as set out in the Staff Working Document of March 2015 must be seen as a transitional stage in an effort to progressively step up results reporting, in particular by reporting results from ongoing operations, thus increasing transparency. This would widen the reporting base when compared to reporting on projects coming to an end over a one-year period, and give a more comprehensive picture of EU development and cooperation assistance 37 .

Selected partner country results supported by the EU (July 2014 - June 2015) 38

The EU contributed to the following results which were achieved by projects and programmes that ended between mid-2014 and mid-2015:

Good Governance

87 000 human rights defenders were supported in promoting civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights

Four elections were supported where the electoral process was perceived by independent observers as free and fair

80 000 individuals benefited directly from justice, rule of law and security sector reform programmes

78 000 people benefited directly from legal aid programmes, central to ensuring equality before the law by providing the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial

Conflict Prevention, Peace Building and Security

404 000 people benefited directly from programmes that specifically aimed to support civilian post-conflict peace building and/or conflict prevention

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition

184 000 hectares of agricultural and pastoral ecosystems were managed by sustainable land management practices to reverse the degradation of agricultural ecosystems in partner countries caused by factors such as climate change

1 130 000 people received rural advisory services to add value to their produce and improve the links between farmers and markets

5 900 people secured tenure of land, building up their assets in order to enjoy sustainable livelihoods

5 025 000 women of reproductive age and children under five years old benefited from nutrition-related programmes

1 858 000 food-insecure people received assistance through social transfers

Energy

2 600 km of transmission/distribution lines were built or upgraded, as part of efforts to provide access to secure, sustainable energy services

Public Financial Management

12 countries improved their overall public financial management, which is critical to the efficient management of public resources and delivery of services in partner countries

Education

10 635 000 children were enrolled in primary education

7 603 000 children were enrolled in secondary education

175 000 teachers were trained, all providing a foundation for future learning and skills

Health

8 104 000 births were attended by skilled health personnel, helping to reduce maternal mortality

5 548 000 children under one year were immunised, helping to reduce child mortality

13 238 000 women had access to a method of contraception

8 200 000 people with advanced HIV infection received antiretroviral therapy

204 000 000 insecticide-treated bed nets were distributed, to prevent the spread of malaria

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change

12 partner countries developed and/or implemented climate change strategies, to help them adapt to global changes such as climate change and ecosystem degradation

3 951 000 hectares of protected areas were managed, to help ensure biological diversity and to preserve natural heritage

6 200 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) applied sustainable consumption and production practices to support a ‘green’ economy that generates growth, creates jobs and helps to reduce poverty

Transport

27 000 km of roads were constructed, rehabilitated or maintained to provide better access to transportation, particularly for the most disadvantaged groups

8 905 000 people were provided with access to all-season roads

Employment and Social Protection

195 000 people benefited from Vocational and Educational Training (VET)/skills development and other active labour market programmes intended to improve employability, productivity and competitiveness in partner countries

Trade and Private Sector Development

Nine countries improved their capacity to trade across borders

10 000 firms gained access to credit, to help them avoid risks and make investments

80 quality certifications were issued to improve partner countries’ national quality infrastructure in order to meet international standards and thus reap the benefits of the multilateral trading system

Seven countries improved their business environment thereby enabling private enterprises to develop, leading to economic growth.

2.1.    Development progress in partner countries

This section presents the development progress made by partner countries and sets the context in which the EU's contributions to results should be understood. It focuses on the longer-term development outcomes and impact in the countries and reflects the results from the collective effort of partner countries, donors and other development actors.

The aggregate values in the tables on the following pages are based on data from all partner countries in which the EU is financing bilateral programmes over the 2014-2020 programming period (see Figure 1 below and Annex 2 in Chapter 6, which gives the breakdown of countries that form part of each OECD defined region). Annex 3 shows the estimates broken down by funding instrument; and also the breakdown of countries for each funding instrument.

The statistics used to report on the indicators are taken from international statistical sources 39 . Under the 'baseline' heading they present information as published in the first EU International Cooperation and Development Results Report 40 , which most commonly refer to 2013 data; and under the 'latest available' heading they show the latest available data at the time of drafting this report 41 - most commonly this was from 2014. It should also be pointed out that the Results Framework did not capture data for the majority of the IcSP as this is managed by FPI.

It should be noted that whilst for most indicators in this section two consecutive data points are now available, care should be taken when interpreting the numbers. Generally, for impact indicators, trends cannot be established until data covering several years has been computed.

Figure 1: Development progress in EU bilateral cooperation countries - Map of countries grouped in OECD regions

Table 1: Development progress – Summary  42

Table 2. Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction

As a result of a revision in PPP (purchasing power parity) exchange rates, the international poverty line has been updated in the final quarter of 2015 to USD 1.90. This update has only minimal impact on the aggregate poverty rate, but it means that poverty rates for individual countries should not be compared with poverty rates previously reported. Whilst over the last two decades extreme poverty globally has been reduced considerably, it has become more concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, where despite a modest decline, the poverty rate remains very high (46.8 %).

It should be noted, that the apparent increase in the proportion of the population living in poverty in Oceania is due to the fact that in 2015 (baseline) only two island states had recent poverty data available, whilst in 2016 (latest value) data has become available for eight island states.

Over the last 12 months the income share of the bottom 40 % of the income distribution has remained stable. The same is true for the average GDP growth over the last five years, where North and Central America are showing some growth (2.5 % to 3.5 %), yet Europe (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine) are showing a drop, driven mainly by the instability of the situation in the Ukraine (+0.8 to -0.3).

Table 3. Good Governance

The Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) are compiled by the World Bank. They comprise several components which measure the quality of governance in over 200 countries. The WGI is a relative index and scores are normalised against the global average. This means that at the level of all partner countries very little change is likely to occur. However, differences in the various governance components at regional level can be observed.

The rule of law score measures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society – in particular the quality of contract enforcement, the police and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Over the last six years (between 2008 and 2014), the score has fallen in North Africa (from -0.3 to -0.6), North and Central America (from -0.1 to -0.3) and in the more advanced developing countries (from 0.9 to 0.6). For the remainder of the regions, the score has either remained stable (Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania) or is showing some small improvements (South America, South and Central Asia, Far East Asia and parts of Europe (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine)).

The corruption score measures perceptions of the extent to which public power is exercised for private gain, including both petty and large-scale forms of corruption, as well as 'capture' of the state by elites and private interests. Over the last six year (between 2008 and 2014) the score has fallen slightly in North, Central and South America, in the Middle East-Asia and the more advanced developing countries; it has increased marginally in South, Central and Far East Asia and Oceania.

The voice and accountability score measures perceptions of the extent to which a country's citizens are able to participate in electing their government, as well as freedom of expression, freedom of association and a free media. Over the last six years (between 2008 and 2014), the score has improved in North Africa (from -1.2 to -0.8) and in South and Central Asia (from -1.1. to -0.9) and stayed relatively stable in most of the other regions.

Table 4. Conflict Prevention, Peace Building and Security

Since last year, no new data has become available for this indicator, when partner countries recorded an average of 10.7 violent deaths per 100 000 deaths.

Table 5. Agriculture and Food Security

Since 2015, no new data has become available on cereal yield per hectare (used as proxy to measure agricultural value added). Based on 2015 data, the yield in partner countries stood at 2 523 kg per hectare; with the yield in Far East Asia being the highest (4 273 kg per hectare) and that in Sub-Saharan Africa being significantly lower (1 433 kg per hectare).

Over the last 12 months, stunting has continued to fall and the average prevalence in all partner countries now stands at 32.1 %. The Commission recently developed a tool that allows measuring country level progress of stunting. This tool forms the basis for a WHO global target tracker that is available online 44 . The tool shows that in the 40 focus countries of the EU Nutrition Action Plan the rate of stunting reduction accelerated between 2012 and 2015; and that the number of children expected to be averted from stunting in 2025 drops by almost one million. This drop, although relatively small, indicates a change in the trajectory, which is significant, having occurred in the context of early stages of scaling up actions.

The proportion of undernourished people has also fallen further over the last 12 months and the average for all partner countries now stands at 15.8 %. Whilst most regions have shown a small reduction in the rate of people who do not have enough to eat, the hunger rate continues to vary a lot by region – North Africa is close to eradicating food insecurity, having maintained a prevalence rate of 5 %, whilst in Middle East Asia still a fifth of the population (20.8 %) suffer from undernourishment.

Table 6. Energy

Over the last 12 months, the percentage of the population in all partner countries who have access to energy services has increased from 62.6 % to 64.3 %. Despite an improvement of 3.3 percentage points, the rate in Sub-Saharan Africa remains low at only 35.7 %.

No new data for renewable energy production as a proportion of total energy production has become available since 2015. Based on the existing data, on average just under a quarter of energy in our partner countries comes from renewable sources. The share is by far the highest in South America (78.0 %); and is a lot lower in Europe (Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine) (5.0 %), North Africa (6.6 %) and Middle East Asia (5 %).

Table 7. Public Finance Management

No new data for the change in domestic revenue mobilisation as a percentage of GDP over three years has become available since 2015. Based on information covering the period 2011 to 2014 the majority of partner countries increased the share of domestic revenues in their GDP. However, a significant number of countries were affected by the slowdown in commodity prices, in particular large reductions in revenue in oil exporting economies such as Libya, Angola and Nigeria, which contributed to an overall decline of 1.4 percentage points in domestic revenue mobilisation as share of GDP.

Table 8. Education

For all three indicators, care should be taken when comparing baselines with latest values as the latter are dependent on country updates that are not necessarily released each year 45 . That being said, the general trend over the last years is positive: children in developing countries are increasingly completing primary education around the world. In partner countries the primary completion rate 46 currently stands at 78.8 %. Although also on an increasing path, Sub-Saharan Africa is still below partner countries' average (69.1 %).

The completion rate in lower secondary education stands at 57.6 % in partner countries. Looked at from a regional perspective, wide discrepancies exist between the highest rate in the more advanced developing countries (98.3 %) and the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa (38.3 %). In the Sub-Saharan Africa and in Middle East Asian countries girls are more likely to lag behind boys (-5.5 points) than anywhere else in the world. The apparent decrease in North Africa's lower secondary completion rate is mostly the consequence of a modification of Egypt figures by UNESCO for methodological reasons which otherwise would result in a stable figure.

Remarkable progress goes along with some persistent challenges: inequalities are hitting the most disadvantaged groups (e.g. poorest families, ethnic minorities, and girls) not only in terms of access but also of learning outcomes. Too many children are still not able to read, write and count despite attending several years of schooling or because they were deprived of education. Conflicts and humanitarian crisis have a huge impact on education: more than 75 million children and young people aged 3-18 currently have had their education disrupted or destroyed.

The literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds has steadily increased globally since 1990 (MDG baseline). In partner countries it stands at 80.5 %. Literacy rate in Sub-Saharan Africa remains lower than in any other region at 70 %. Beyond rates and numbers, a wide array of situations exist in terms of literacy, ranging from poor reading, writing and comprehension skills to the ability of individuals in "achiev[ing] their goals in work and life and participat[ing] fully in society" 47 .

Table 9. Health

No new data has become available on the progress in reducing child mortality. The most recent data shows a decline by more than a half since 1990, with the under-five mortality rate standing at 69.9 deaths per 1 000 live births on average. Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest rate (92.3 deaths per 1 000 live births) but achieved the highest absolute decline in child mortality over the last 20 years. The other region with high rates of under-five mortality is Southern and Central Asia (62.3 deaths per 1 000 live births).

Maternal mortality is widely regarded as a key indicator of population health and the quality of health care delivery systems. It is however, a challenge to assess the extent of progress due to the lack of reliable and accurate maternal mortality data – particularly in developing country settings. As part of on-going efforts the UN refined its estimation methods to optimise use of country level data and provided updated estimates in 2015. As a result, the latest value and the baseline data in the table above are not comparable. However, overall the maternal mortality ratio in partner countries declined significantly over the last two decades; and the new UN estimates 48 indicate that this positive trend has continued over the past 12 months with the exception of Syria, Central African Republic and Zimbabwe where data revealed an increase in the maternal mortality ratio and several countries with no change.

In EU partner countries, the prevalence of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) among young people remained stable at 0.8 %. Whilst Sub-Saharan Africa has recorded a decrease of 0.1 percentage points over the last 12 months (down from 1.6 % to 1.5 %), it remains the most affected region with girls proportionally more affected than boys. Differences in the spread of the epidemic can be accounted for by a complex interplay of sexual behaviour – determined by cultural and socio-economic context – and biological factors. In Sub-Saharan Africa impoverishment, gender inequality and the subordinate role of women and lack of access to condoms and quality health care further contributed to the higher HIV prevalence amongst girls compared to boys.

Table 10. Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change

International reporting on economic losses linked to climate related and natural disasters is incomplete. Reporting levels vary according to the region and type of disaster and records are particularly partial from Africa where economic losses were reported from just 13 % of events that took place over the last 20 years. Clearly, with climate related disasters likely to increase, it is important to establish a better evidence base than currently available. For this purpose Commission services are funding a global project with UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) to build capacity at country level to assess and record losses based on a standard methodology, and setting up national disaster loss databases. For the above reason, it has been decided not to report against the indicator for economic loss as a proportion of GDP that forms part of the EU Results Framework and to re-assess this indicator as part of the overall review of the EU results framework anticipated later in 2016.

Whilst reporting on deaths linked to climate related and natural disasters is also not complete (the existing reporting database (EM-DAT) doesn't include climate events where less than 10 people were reported killed), it is much more systematic than that for economic losses. Between 2004 and 2013 an average of 99 700 deaths linked to climate related and natural disasters has been recorded globally. This large number partially reflects the huge loss of life in the 2004 Asian tsunami, Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, but even without taking account of these three disasters, the trend over the past 20 years would have shown an increase in the loss of live. Income levels impact on disaster death tolls and, on average, more than three times as many people die per disaster in low income countries than in high income countries.

The CO2 equivalent emissions in partner countries stand at almost three million kilo tons. It is estimated that developing countries and emerging economies currently have a share of more than 50% in current global greenhouse gas emissions and in their annual increase. 49 In this regard, Commission services is focusing on the development and implementation of partner countries' Paris Agreement pledges (their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)). The NDCs contain partner countries' mitigation targets and, in most cases, their adaptation plans.

On average, 79.1 % of people in the partner countries are using improved drinking water sources, an improvement of 0.7 percentage points compared with 12 months previously. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest proportion of population lacking sustainable access to safe drinking water, but continues to show an increase in the percentage of people using improved drinking water sources (from 64.6 % to 67 %).

The progress in the proportion of people using an improved sanitation facility continues. An average of 55.3 % of the population in partner countries is now using a better sanitation facility. The proportion of the population with improved sanitation remains very low in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Oceania, at 29.8 % and 30.7 % respectively.

In recent years, the net loss of forest area has slowed globally. In the partner countries, the average loss since 2010 is 4.5 %. The decline has continued at a faster pace in North and Central America and Far East Asia (9.0 % and 8.5 % respectively) and at a slower pace in Oceania, South and Central Asia and in the more advanced developing countries (3.6 %, 1.8 % and 2.1 % respectively).

No new data has become available on the state of global biodiversity, which over the last 40 years has fallen dramatically. This is reflected by the size of populations of vertebrate species, which declined globally by 52.0 % between 1970 and 2010.

Table 11. Transport

On average, the road density in partner countries increased from 12.0 to 12.5 km of road per 100 km2 of land area. The density is highest in the more advanced developing countries (66.1 km per 100 km2) and lowest in Oceania (5.6 km per 100 km2) and North Africa (7.2 km per 100 km2).

Table 12. Employment and Social Protection

As a result of a revision of PPP (purchasing power parity) exchange rates, the international poverty line has been updated in the final quarter of 2015 from USD 1.25 to USD 1.90. This update means that the number of employed people living in poverty that was reported in last year's EU Results Report (baseline) is not directly comparable with the latest available data (latest value) shown in the above table.

Important progress has been made in reducing the share of extreme working poverty in total employment since 2000 and the global rate of working poor dropped from 33.2 % in 2000 to 12.0 % in 2015. Whilst this downward trend continues, progress since 2013 has been more limited, in particular in the least developed countries. More specifically, for developing economies the rate of decline in the number of working poor has slowed: between 2012 and 2015 the number of extreme poor decreased by around 0.9 percentage points per annum, whereas the number of moderately and near poor (those living on between USD 1.90 and USD 5.0 per day in PPP terms) increased by around 5.2 percentage points 50 .

No new data has become available on the share of older persons receiving pensions. On average, 38.2 % of older people in EU development cooperation partner countries receive old-age pensions, with great variation across the regions.

Table 13. Trade and Private Sector Development

The Global Competitiveness Index assesses the relative competitiveness of an economy. The index takes into account a number of key aspects of the macroeconomic and microeconomic environment of each country, which contribute to creating the conditions for competitiveness.

The average score in the partner countries increased from 3.7 to 3.8 on a 1-7 scale, where higher average score means higher degree of competitiveness. The more advanced developing countries obtained the highest score (4.5) and sub-Saharan Africa the lowest (3.6).

Exports of goods and services as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in partner countries stood at 30.1 % on average, 1.8 percentage points less than twelve months earlier. Whilst Far East Asia, North and Central America, Middle East Asia and Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine) recorded a modest improvement, exports dropped in North Africa (from 32.7 % to 26.8 %) and in South and Central Asia (from 24.6 % to 20.6 %).

Table 14. Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Over the last decade, women's representation in parliament has almost doubled. This trend continued over the last 12 months with an increase of one percentage point (up from 19.2 % to 20.2 %). The increase at the aggregate level for all partner countries is linked mainly to 6 % more women in parliament in South America and 3.7 % more women in South & Central Asia.

The percentage of women aged between 20-24 years who were married before they reached their 18th birthday stands at 30.5 %. This is an increase of one percentage point compared with last year, which can be linked to the percentage of women in Sub-Saharan Africa who got married early having gone up to 39.4 % (from 37.1 %).

2.2.    EU contributions to results in partner countries: aggregated results

The results presented in this section have been aggregated on the basis of indicators in the EU Results Framework. They have been aggregated across all countries against each indicator. Along with the aggregated results, project examples with their achievements for EU Results Framework sectors are also given.

In terms of coverage, the results presented here refer to the financing instruments managed by the Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development and the in the course of 2015: the European Development Fund (EDF) 51 , the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) 52 , the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), part of the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) 53 , 54 , the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) 55 , the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 56 and the Instrument for Greenland 57 .

The March 2015 European Commission’s Staff Working Document that presented the EU Results Framework also raised the possibility that not all output/outcome indicators of the Framework would be covered in the results reporting on the Framework. This is the case for the following indicators: ‘Renewable energy production supported by the EU (MWh)’ and ‘Number of people provided with access to sustainable energy services with EU support’.

For these indicators, there was insufficiently reliable information on the results to reflect the scale of interventions.

The Staff Working Document of March 2015 also announced that, where possible, results data will be sex-disaggregated for those indicators for which this is relevant. These data are presented in Annex 6 in Chapter 6. There are further breakdowns of partner country results in Annex 7 (by country, region and thematic programmes), Annex 8 (by OECD region) and Annex 9 (by funding Instrument). All these annexes can be found in Chapter 6.

Table 15 presents the list of countries covered by the data collection.

Table 16 presents the aggregated results achieved with EU support for the EU Results Framework indicators, for the years 2013-14 and 2014-15. In the final column of Table 16, results for each indicator are then cumulated across both these years. For certain indicators the same beneficiaries could be double counted, because the EU support has been continuous over a period of time that is longer than one year. On this basis, this risk of double counting was considered for all EU Results Framework indicators; and assessed as relevant essentially for the indicators below. So, whilst it is correct to report those beneficiaries in each year (because they received support in both years), any duplication has been removed for the total numbers for beneficiaries across both years in that final column for these indicators:

Number of countries where overall public financial management has improved

Number of children enrolled in primary education

Number of children enrolled in secondary education

Number of women using any method of contraception

Number of countries/regions with climate change strategies either being developed and/or implemented with EU support

Number of countries whose capacity to trade across borders has improved

Number of countries where the business environment has improved

As mentioned previously, additional selected results achieved in a number of individual countries with the support of the same EU-funded geographic and thematic projects and programmes in 2014-15 are available online and can be found here 58 . Some of the results presented for individual countries are also included in the aggregated results presented in this section, but most of them reflect other achievements in the specific country context. These results can be both qualitative and quantitative.

Table 15. Partner country results supported by the EU – list of countries covered by this reporting exercise broken down by OECD-defined region

Table 16. Aggregated results achieved with EU support: (2013-2014) and (2014-15) 59

Expenditure by sector for projects and programmes reporting results aggregated on the basis of the EU Results Framework indicators

Figure 2 shows the expenditure for the projects and programmes covered by this chapter, broken down by sector.

In the period for which this chapter refers, for the results of projects and programmes completed, i.e. from mid-2014 until mid-2015, total expenditure on projects and programmes reported against EU Results Framework indicators was EUR 2 770 million. This compares to an overall spend of EUR 4 470 million on all projects and programmes with results information and with a value above EUR 750 000. The difference between the two sums can be explained by the fact that some of those projects and programmes delivered results which did not correspond to, and therefore were not captured by, the EU Results Framework indicators.

Figure 2 Expenditure by sector for projects/programmes reporting results against EU Results Framework indicators (million EUR) 61

Results by sector

Good Governance

Good governance is vital for inclusive and sustainable development. EU support in this sector is focused on partners’ commitments to democracy, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and to meeting their peoples’ demands and needs.

In Mauritius, EU support consisted of technical assistance to the administration focussing on developing operational skills amongst Mauritian officials to ensure that the elections ran smoothly. There was increased voter turnout (over 73 %, compared to the 53 % of registered voters who had voted in the 2010 Presidential elections) in the parliamentary (Nation Representatives) and municipal elections held in early 2015.

In 13 municipalities of the North-East Department of Haiti over the period 2013-2014,

45 000 members of 853 community-based organisations were reached by targeted awareness-raising activities on the rights of women, children and people with disabilities under the Project for Strengthening the Action Capacity of Civil Society Organisations. Such activities sought to educate marginalised groups as well as competent authorities on decisions and strategies for the protection of the rights of women, children and people with disabilities, as well as to develop a set of specifications on the needs of women of the community that would serve as an advocacy document guiding public policy. In a region where trafficking, violence against women and children and discrimination against disabled individuals has increased in recent years, EU support under this project made a valuable contribution to educating civil society actors and helping them develop clear common ideas about the needs of marginalised groups and the social protection framework.

In Afghanistan, over the period 2012-2014 7 400 individuals took part in 283 three-day training sessions on property law, family law and inheritance law, run by the Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) capacity building team with support from the EU. There were 2 900 female participants being trained on women's housing and property issues.

In Georgia, over the period 2012-2014 the EU supported 5 150 police investigators to be trained on changes in the criminal procedure code interview techniques for criminal investigations, and 160 police officers received training on Human Rights and the national and international standards on non-discrimination.

Conflict Prevention

The purpose of the EU’s development, foreign and security policy initiatives is to create a more coherent approach to peace, state-building, poverty reduction and the underlying causes of conflict. Where conflict has occurred, the EU aims to contribute to a smooth transition from humanitarian aid and crisis response to long-term development cooperation.

In Colombia, 40 000 people were trained in human rights, international humanitarian law or conflict resolution, as part of three ‘peace laboratories’ in those regions affected by the conflict with the drugs cartels.

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition

In agriculture, the EU aims to support sustainable practices, including safeguarding ecosystem services, prioritising locally developed practices and focusing on smallholder agriculture and rural livelihoods, the formation of producer groups, the supply and marketing chain, and government efforts to facilitate responsible private investment. The EU continues to work on strengthening nutritional standards, governance of food security and reducing food-price volatility at the international level.

Land tenure is important in rural development interventions which emphasise building people’s endowments of assets so that they can enjoy sustainable livelihoods. Property rights to land, together with labour, form the most common endowments used to produce food for home consumption as well as cash crops that allow the family or individual to pay for other needs, such as health and education.

In the Gogrial East region of South Sudan, 4 200 people from 600 vulnerable households participated in various cash-for-work activities, such as production of bricks for the construction of community buildings (e.g. seed banks and schools) over the period 2012-2015. The cash-for-work scheme enabled most of the beneficiaries to transition from depending on hand-outs to earning a living through their labour. Payments were made before the start of the planting season, to facilitate the purchase of food items and seeds, and to increase beneficiaries' food security and prospects for agricultural income. Vulnerable households were also able to acquire assets such as goats and sheep, which enhanced their ability to withstand adverse climatic events such as droughts or floods that destroy agricultural production.

In Madagascar extreme poverty rates in some regions are as high as 97 %, and food insecurity rates as high as 65 %.

Over the period 2013 -2014 the EU supported 220 000 primary school children and teachers from food insecure areas in the regions of Atsimo Andrefana, Anosy and Androy, who received approximately 38 million school meals. This increased beneficiaries' food security, but also maintained school attendance in the affected regions.

Malnutrition has negative effects on children's cognitive development and school attendance, as well as their productivity as adults.

Energy

In energy, the EU aims to offer technology and expertise focusing on three main challenges: price volatility and energy security; climate change, including access to low-carbon technologies; and access to secure, affordable, clean and sustainable energy services.

In Madagascar, the Ihosy region has faced frequent power disruptions in the past. Over the period 2008-2014 the EU supported a project to provide access to electricity to 20 000 inhabitants of the region, as well as street lighting and basic public services. The reliable supply of electricity will also benefit the development of small businesses as well as other new economic activities.

Education

Support for basic (primary and lower secondary) education is the foundation for future learning and skills development. However, in 2013, the number of children and young adolescents out of school stood at 124 million 62 . Many of these children live in conflict-affected areas or are from disadvantaged backgrounds (e.g. rural or remote areas, ethnicity, disabilities, poverty, and girls).

In Zambia, the EU supported up to 3 135 000 primary school children (1 567 000 girls and 1 569 000 boys) to be enrolled in school. Over the lifetime of the project, the proportion of children completing primary school rose from 53 % to 64 %.

Health

The EU is taking action to develop and strengthen health systems, reduce inequalities regarding access to health services, and increase protection against global health threats so as to improve health outcomes for all.

A key policy area is enabling women to have access to skilled health personnel during pregnancy and childbirth, to ensure prevention, detection and management of complications. Assistance provided by trained health personnel with adequate equipment is key to lowering maternal deaths.

In December 2015, Directorate-General Research and Innovation organised the conference ‘Together for the next generation: Research and innovation for maternal and new-born health’ 64 . Around 200 researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, research funders, advocates, and NGOs active in low- and middle-income countries participated. The conference was carefully timed to take place within weeks of the announcement of the SDGs and the relaunch of the UN Secretary General’s Every Woman, Every Child Campaign. The meeting was also convened at the very end of 2015, just as the final results of the MDGs were emerging, including estimates for the maternal mortality ratio and other important impact indicators.

In Somalia, over the period 2011-2014 20 000 births were attended by skilled health personnel. Under this project, training was provided to 18 midwives and other health staff, which improved their capacity to manage routine emergency obstetric and neonatal cases as well as to make referrals for complications to a higher tertiary level of patient care. This resulted in lower maternal and child mortality.

Another policy priority is the immunisation of children under one year old, as this is an essential part of reducing under-fives mortality rates. It is also one of the specific actions to increase protection against global health threats.

In the Philippines, the EU supported 5 402 000 to be fully immunised, as part of a Budget Support programme. The children were immunised against the standard three diseases of Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough) and Tetanus, and also measles.

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change

One of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is to promote the transparent management of natural resources, including raw materials and maritime resources. The EU is also promoting a ‘green economy’ that can generate growth, create jobs and help reduce poverty by giving value to and investing in natural capital. This includes supporting market opportunities for cleaner technologies, energy and resource efficiency, low-carbon development while stimulating innovation, the use of information and communications technologies, and reducing the unsustainable use of natural resources.

In China, by the end of 2014, 3 400 Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) suppliers signed supply contracts for environmentally friendly products (commonly referred to as ‘green products’) with large supermarkets in Beijing and Tianjin. This project promoted resource-efficiency and environmentally friendly economic development through mainstreaming sustainable individual consumption. By increasing the supply of green products, it is estimated that approximately 44.1 Peta Joules of energy, as well as 141 million tonnes of water, were saved.

Transport

Roads are the principal means of transport in the majority of partner countries and account for 80-90 % of passenger and freight transport. Often, roads are the only way of reaching most rural communities, and they provide a means of transportation that is readily accessible to the most disadvantaged sections of the population.

However, the development of road networks frequently outstrips the resources available to properly maintain them – resources that are estimated at approximately 5-10 % of the operating budgets of many partner country governments. The EU supports not only the building but also the rehabilitation and maintenance of the road network in our partner countries.

In the region of Central Mindanao in the Philippines, which has suffered from more than four decades of conflict resulting in the destruction of social infrastructure and an overall degradation of living standards, 140 km of farm-to-market roads were rehabilitated in the period 2012-2014, using food as well as cash-for-work schemes. The communities thus benefited not only from the rehabilitation of the roads but also from income-generating activities.

Employment and Social Protection

Through capacity-building and exchange of knowledge, the EU supports vocational education and training (VET) to enhance employability, productivity and competitiveness, especially among the young, who are more likely to be unemployed because of a lack of appropriate skills that match the demands of the current labour market.

In India, the EU supported the training of 31 000 marginalised women across 12 districts in the regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan over the period 2010-2014. The main objective was to enhance participants' knowledge and income-generating skills across 10 sectors: agriculture & nursery (most popular), para-veterinary (second most popular), food processing, para-medical, renewable energy, ICT, construction, textile & garments, salt production, and micro-enterprises. The vision was to empower poor, vulnerable women dependent on wage-labour to turn themselves into self-reliant and successful entrepreneurs. A sample survey at the end of the programme indicated that the majority of trainees (97 %) were employed and respondents' monthly income increased by 46 % on average. Respondents were able to use their increased income to finance their children's education, provide better nutrition for their families, reduce debt, create assets and invest in further expanding their trade.

Trade and Private Sector Development

The EU supports the development of competitive local private sectors, including by building local businesses and institutional capacity, promoting SMEs and cooperatives, supporting legislative and regulatory framework reforms and their enforcement, and facilitating access to business and financial services. This enables partner countries, especially the poorest, to harness the opportunities offered by globally integrated markets. The EU is helping SMEs to achieve quality certification standards so that their goods and services meet international standards and they can reap the benefits of the multilateral trading system.

In Morocco, more than 6 600 MSMEs over the period 2009-2014 were provided with access to new lines of credit. More specifically, the Central Guarantee Fund expanded the range of credit and guarantee products offered to cover the needs of MSMEs in the entire business cycle, including innovation.

2.3.    European Commission’s organisational performance as the manager of the EU aid 

This section provides a set of key data on how the European Commission services are managing their operational processes and resources in order to contribute to achieving development results in all partner countries except those involved in the enlargement process.

Some of the indicators in this section have targets for which the Commission has either made political commitments or included in the Regulations which constitute the legal framework for the implementation of the EU’s development and cooperation policy (see Table 17 below).

All indicators presented in this section have been calculated with reference to the calendar year 2015, with the sole exception of the indicator ‘Amount of EU-funded international cooperation and development assistance directed towards nutrition’ which reports on the basis of 2014 data. Therefore the data in this section covers a different subset of projects and programmes from those presented in the previous section (partner country results supported by the EU).

In terms of coverage, the figures presented here refer to the financing instruments managed by the Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development in the course of 2015: the European Development Fund (EDF) 65 , the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) 66 , the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) 67 , 68 , the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) 69 , the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation 70 and the Instrument for Greenland 71 .

In all cases, the sources of data are the European Commission’s internal monitoring systems.

EU organisational performance is assessed across three results areas:

I.Quality at entry (design of projects and programmes)

II.Quality of portfolio performance (ongoing operations)

III.Policy priorities